One Child Has Brown Eyes
One child has brown eyes, one has blue One slanted, another rounded One so nearsighted he squints internal One had her extra epicanthic folds removed One downcast, one couldn't be bothered One roams the heavens for a perfect answer One transfixed like a dead doe, a convex mirror One shines double-edged like a poisoned dagger Understand their vision, understand their blindness Understand their vacuity, understand their mirth
Credit
Copyright © 2010 by Marilyn Chin. Used with permission of the author.
Author
Marilyn Chin

Marilyn Chin was born in Hong Kong and raised in Portland, Oregon. The author of six poetry collections, she currently serves as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.
Date Published: 2010-11-23
Source URL: https://poets.org/poem/one-child-has-brown-eyes